Ingredient: Paprika
Category: Herbs, Spices & Seasoning
Season: All
Paprika is a spice made from the grinding of dried sweet red bell peppers (Capsicum annuum)., both mild and hot and comes labelled as such.
In many European countries the name paprika also refers to bell peppers themselves .
The seasoning is used in many cuisines to add colour and flavour to dishes
In the case of hot it does not really mean chilli-hot, but more piquant, so have no fear.
It is made in Hungary and used extensively in Hungarian and Austrian dishes (in wonderful pepper-scented stews such as goulash or chicken paprika).
The Spanish also produce paprika and it turns up in many of their recipes – the famous chorizo sausage is made with it. Recently Spain has been producing smoked paprika from dried smoked peppers, and this has added a whole new dimension to this particular spice. Once again, remember the rule: buy in small quantities and replace frequently
Paprika is used as an ingredient in a broad variety of dishes throughout the world . Paprika (pimentón in Spain, colorau in Portugal, chiltoma in Nicaragua, but these "paprikas" are not made exclusively from bell peppers, other varieties are used, and there are several hot and sweet "paprikas") is principally used to season and colour rices, stews, and soups, such as goulash.
In Spain, Germany, Hungary, Slovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey and Portugal , paprika is also used in the preparation of sausages as an ingredient that is mixed with meats and other spices.
Paprika may be smoked for additional flavour.
In India , a similar powdered spice comes from a fruit locally called 'deghi mirchi', which is grown widely and takes on a slightly different flavour depending on local soil and climatic conditions.
The hottest paprikas are not the bright red ones , but rather the palest red and light brown coloured ones.
Types of Hungarian paprika (Hungarian name in parentheses):
Special Quality (Különleges): The mildest and brightest red of all Hungarian paprikas, with excellent aroma.
Delicate (Édes csemege): Ranging from light to dark red, a mild paprika with a rich flavour.
Exquisite Delicate (Csemegepaprika): Similar to Delicate, but more pungent.
Pungent Exquisite Delicate (Csípős Csemege, Pikáns): A yet more pungent Delicate.
Rose (Rózsa): Pale Red in colour with strong aroma and mild pungency.
Noble Sweet (Édesnemes): The most commonly exported paprika; bright red and slightly pungent.
Half-Sweet (Félédes): A blend of mild and pungent paprikas; medium pungency.
Hot (Erős): Light brown in colour, this is the hottest of all the paprikas.
Hugarian paprika is mainly made in the cities of Kalocsa and Szeged, both areas in the southern part of Hungary.
In Hungarian and some other languages , such as Dutch, German, and Korean, the word "paprika" is used for the fruit, the bell pepper too, of which the spice is made.
Health Benefits
Paprika is unusually high in vitamin C . Hungary's Nobel prize-winning Professor Albert Szent-Györgyi first discovered the vitamin in paprika peppers.
The capsicum peppers used for paprika contain six to nine times as much vitamin C as tomatoes by weight .
High heat leaches the vitamins from peppers, thus commercially-dried peppers are not as nutritious as those dried naturally in the sun.
As an antibacterial agent and stimulant , paprika can help normalize blood pressure, improve circulation, and increase the production of saliva and stomach acids to aid digestion. |